Semi-private Manatee Swim Tour With In Water Guide (Free Photos)

This was one outstanding experience! I have never experienced anything quite like it. I do not swim that well, but it’s amazing how both the driver and Amanda were off the map with being helpful, easy-going and encouraging. While I did not touch a manatee on purpose, one of them, swim directly under me and slid by my body. It was unbelievably fantastic. They were very thorough and very upbeat with happy funny stories. I highly recommend this tour !

We booked an afternoon excursion and got lucky enough to have it be just the two of us on the excursion. Miss Mermaid Amanda and Captain Chris were friendly, chatty and encouraging throughout the time frame. Not a strong swimmer and hadn't snorkeled before that day but they made me feel comfortable going at my own pace. The scenery and sites were amazing. We got to see a mom and her baby as well as several other manatees. Amanda took some amazing pictures! Bucket list experience. Would do it again!

Superb experience with great captain (Hopper) and photographer (Jen). Would highly recommend. Great value for money

We did the Manatee tour at 6:45am on a Tuesday. It was an experience of a lifetime! We met at the meeting spot and met Captain Todd. We relied on his boating capabilities throughout the trip and he was great! Our guide was also top notch. Beyond clearly loving manatees herself, she taught us about the river system and about the manatees themselves. We were very lucky to find manatees quickly and we headed into the water. It was clear that we were not to interact with the m at all, but, given the relaxed and calm nature of our guide and our approach, they came to us. We spent almost an hour with them, and especially with a curious baby who thought we were terribly interesting. We joked that the mom was relieved to have free babysitting while she ate in the area around where we were! I couldn’t recommend this experience more, including the adorable Manatees but also our fabulous captain and guide. I hope that everyone gets the chance to experience manatees for their first time this way!

The Giggles and Captain Chris were amazing. I knew I was going off season and the chances of finding manatees was low, but the crew persisted until they were able to get me in the water to swim with a manatee. They were extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and brought smiles and laughter to my day. I will be returning during peak season. Thank you for a wonderful day and a check mark on my bucket list.

Cap Garret was amazing! He was very informative & just great! We saw a dolphin & 2 manatees. Despite the nasty weather we still had a great time!!

We had the absolute time of our lives with caption Tod and our guide Jay! They were so knowledgeable and so funny I couldn’t have asked for a better experience!!

Captain Chris and Amanda were wonderful to work with. We had a range of ages with us and the trip was appropriate and fun for everyone. The staff were friendly, informative, and went the extra mile to make sure we had a great visit.

Capt Hoppy and the crew were phenomenal! We had an amazing time and can’t wait to come back for the scalloping trip!!

Incredible experience! The guides were very knowledgeable about the wildlife and surrounding areas, relaxed and very funny! We stopped for all wildlife including dolphins, turtles and tarpon! Over all an a great day out! Highly recommend! Thank you Giggles, captain Todd and the team!

Crystal River Manatee Aventures, Captain Chris, and Giggles were fantastic and fun! They have a deep knowledge of the bay, springs, manatees. We saw a mom, baby and solo female, along with a playful group of dolphins! The boat was comfortable and we appreciated the small group size of 6 people maximum. This makes all the difference! I would highly recommend booking with this company!

Incredible experience & great hosts! Highly recommend

Fabulous way to ditch the crowds and get a truly personalized Florida aquatic experience. Our guide Crystal Lynn along with Captain Chris were phenomenal! They knew exactly which spots to visit and where to get us a glimpse and dip near the Manatees. Bonus sightings included Fish, Eagles, Ospreys, Dolphins, and an Alligator. We couldn’t have enjoyed ourselves more!

The overall experience did not wow us. We had a top notch guide and skipper but a few elements fell short of our expectations. First, there are very few Manatees left in the touring waters and second and most disappointing was the second class positioning assigned to the semi-private tour. The private tour offered by this company clearly had a priority status from the first on the water to their choice of Manatee viewing.

What a great little operation...they take care of every need; so personal, knowledgeable, and friendly. We didn't exactly know what to expect but were so pleasantly surprised with the whole experience. After check-in, you watch a short video have a little talk on safety/rules, get suited up and shuttled to the boat. We were towards the end of the season but were lucky enough to quickly spot a manatee. After spending some time with the manatee we cruised over to a clearer spring and enjoyed the water some more; better able to spot other fish in there. The crew was so knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly and love their job. The facility has a couple of places to privately shower off afterwards, which is great if you aren't staying in the area.

Mermaid Amanda and Captain Colt were really flexible with our family of mixed ages from 4 to 76 years old. They made sure all of us felt comfortable and had the opportunity to view the manatees in a manner that was safe first and foremost for the manatees and of course for us as well. It was very clear to me that Amanda loves these animals and wanted to share the love and appreciation with us. I would highly recommend this tour company to another family!

My wife, daughter and granddaughter loved the tour, especially the 3 springs! Captain Chris and our guide Crystal Lee (sp) both awesome. We experienced many manatee and other kinds of fish at the springs. Captain Criss also served Manatee Mocha, coffee and hot cocoa. You definitely want to book the tour with this captain and guide!

Amazing experience! Very impressive from beginning till end. We were very happy with our trip. The team were organised. Plenty of wetsuits which were dry, changing facilities and two showers. Jay and Captain Todd were knowledgeable and we learnt much about manatees and the Crystal River. The hot chocolate on board was perfect. We saw three manatees as this is not really their season. A mother and calf in the lagoon was incredible. We also saw some great fish. The boat was warm and I would recommend this company if you are considering going on a trip. I would definitely book with them again. We had a perfect day. Thank you.

HAD THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!! swam with so many manatees and got to swim in the spring!

We've just returned from a wonderful swim with the manatee. While there were only a couple left locally we were still able to float close to them and enjoy this amazing experience. Crystal Lynn and Captain Pippy were really friendly and super understanding when my youngest felt uncomfortable. She returned to the boat and was still able to enjoy the experience. I would highly recommend.

Captain Todd and Mermaid Amanda were excellent! Did the 630 am tour and we were one of the first boats out there and one of the first to get into the water with the manatees! Captain Todd had all the resources to make sure we found them, and we spent the morning swimming alongside a couple of manatees. Awesome tour and great tour guides - would highly recommend!

What an amazing experience! It didn’t take us long to find some manatees and we were so close! I would highly recommend the tour because of how they treated us the entire time. What a great group of people.

Captain Todd rescued me today! While I was not on this tour, I was kayaking on my own with a borrowed boat. It started taking on water and I was panicking! He saw something wasn’t right from a distance and came to see if I needed help. I really did! I’m so thankful for this and won’t forget it. I highly recommend this company and Captain Todd. I’m sorry for interrupting the tour at the end, LOL. There were three nurses who were so kind and everyone helped me calm down. Good people in Crystal River!

Mermaid Amanda and Captain Chris were amazing! They made sure we were super comfortable and warm. They were very knowledgeable, we learned so many fun facts about the manatees and so much more about crystal river Florida. My husband and I + our 9 and 11 year old boys have never done anything like this before and they made us look like professionals out there. Amanda cheered us on the whole time in the water and captured some awesome pictures and videos for us. Captain Chris made us some yummy manatee mochas and hot chocolate and made sure we got in and out of the boat with ease and everything we needed. We swam with multiple manatee and got to hang with each one for a while then got to see a very pregnant manatee at the end which was pretty cool. One of the best parts was the more intimate experience we got with the manatees and our tour guides without a huge crowd or big group. It made it so much more special and memorable for us. They provided towels and showers after too which was awesome because we had a long trip ahead of us after our tour. This was a 5 star experience for us and we are thankful we got to share our first manatee experience with this company, and can't wait to do it again in the future! Thank yall for a wonderful experience & memories 💖

We had the BEST time!! This was one of the coolest things we’ve ever done ! HIGHLY recommended!! Our guide and captain , Giggles & Chris were so fun. Our 6 year old bought 2 stuffed manatees as a souvenir and named them Giggles & Chris :) Thank you for an amazing trip

Wonderful experience! Amanda and Pippy were awesome! Had the 7:00 am tour.

Captain Chris and Giggles are amazing. Made the experience fun! Highly recommended.

Giggles and Cole made my bucket list dreams come true. It was awesome and fun. They found the manatees for us to observe.

Had a great time with Captain Chris and Leah aka giggles. Knew right where.to.go to check out the manatees. Mark one.off my wife's bucket list.

Genuinely such an amazing experience! Captain Chris and Pippy were so sweet and truly treated us like family. The water wasnt too cold and the warm boat and cocoa afterwards was perfect. Everyone in the business was so sweet. I had so many manatees approaching me in the 2 hours we were out in the water. One of my favorite things ive ever done, all around!

Absolutely AMAZING experience. The boat captain (Todd) and guide (Amanda) were super fun and friendly! They made the trip so much better! Great up close viewing of the manatee....You could tell their only objective was to make sure we had the BEST time. The heated boat was toasty and very much appreciate since it was a cooler day. We were pampered with coffee and hot cocoa and dry towels when getting back on the boat....our package came with pictures...they took 92 pics of our group and 12 videos~. This tour is by far the best experience and the best value out there

Amazing experience with “Giggles” and Captain Colt! Thank you for making the decision to wait for a bit. Having the opportunity to swim with a mom and calf was a dream come true! We (or I) will be back!

semi private tour much better than big group tour; only 6 of us total; Amanda the diver & "mermaid" was professional, kind & fun; saw manatees up close; also got to swim in Spring which was fun, clear & beautiful;

Capt. Chris and Giggles went out of their way to make the experience for my 50th Birthday special. The tour was genuine, personalized, and a lot of fun! Giggles is a knowledgeable FL native- and a manatee whisperer! We had an amazing experience and reccomend this tour due to the small groups they take out as well as all the extras they offer with a warm boat, towels, and warm drinks. The changing facilities were great, the wet suits were clean, and the gift shop had something for everyone. It was a no stress experience with them taking care of everything! We left feeling like they were friends showing us the " swimming with manatee ropes."

What an awesome experience! From the friendly banter from Captain Chris to Giggles guiding us through the Three Sister Springs, it was a thrilling experience! We saw so many manatees up close. We all got to tell Captain Chris - "you were wrong and Giggles was right."😊 I highly recommend Crystal River Manatee Adventures!

An AMAZING experience start to finish. Fun crew, quality equipment, great educational knowledge. Saw soo many manatees up close and personal. Giggles and (not) Captain Chris were awesome! Giggles was right, Chris 😉

Absolutely first class experience. Giggles and Captain Colt provided outstanding, friendly, knowledgeable and respectful of the environment service to the very private and unique encounter with manatees, including manatee mom and baby interactions, a very pregnant mamma and a delightfully mischievous adolescent male manatee to mention just a few. I was on the fence about getting in the water not because I had concerns regarding my own safety but because I didn't want to intrude on the manatees environment. After careful research and understanding of how respectful this company and it's guides are of the environment and all animals I decided to take the plunge. It was an awe inspiring experience. This review is written by a very self aware mother of an outdoor leadership graduate from the university of Alaska that tough her mother how to spot environmentally respectful companies that provide nature inmersion and education without disturbing the environment and it's inhabitants. You can't go wrong with Crystal River Manatee Adventures.

Chris and Pippy were awesome! Down to earth guys that clearly like what they do and care about the wellbeing of the animals!! Highly recommend - GREAT experience!!

We had an awesome experience! Loved the smaller group they offer of 6 people you feel completely included the whole time. Captain Todd was knowledgeable and funny. Our guide we had Amanda was awesome she knew exactly what she was doing and loved her job and takes great photos! Prescription goggles were a huge plus!

Phenomenal service and experience. Our guide, Giggles, and Captain Chris, went above and beyond. It was cold and the manatees were harder to find. They didn’t give up and made sure we had the best day out as possible. I was truly grateful to share this amazing, once in a lifetime experience with my family.

I cannot recommend this tour more highly, all staff are amazing and the facilities are excellent as is the heated boat . I swam with dozens of manatees, a dream of mine for many years. The heated boat was so comfortable and warm after a swim , towels supplied thank you very much. I flew from Melbourne Australia to swim with the Manatees and absolutely loved the experience made possible by everyone today The underwater photography is fantastic , thanks to TJ. who was our guide today Thank you everyone who made this dream come true. Yvonne Osborne.

Absolutely great tour company. We had Capt Ryan and Jay in the water and it was great. We swam in a few places and saw manatees and people respectively viewing them as well.

This was well done from the moment we parked. Great communication and very warm and kind employees! We were fitted for our suits and shuttled the short distance to the boat. Our guide, Jay, was great. We were seeing manatees immediately. We went to one spot and saw all there were there and then they moved us to a second spot where they were Great company. We will be back

It was a great experience. Even though the day turned out quite warm and many manatees had left, our guides were able to find several areas that still harbored the gentle giants. We saw three mothers with their young and numerous others, both singly and in groups. All of our questions were answered. Professional and friendly place. Highly recommend.

We had an absolute blast! We had Morgan as our guide & Ryan drove the boat! We had no idea she was taking the photo’s (we got the package but I didn’t even notice her taking them) she was very informative and really cared about the manatees

Totally worth it! The experince was amazing ! Spend the money take your children and enjoy a wonderful time

We absolutely enjoyed our manatee experience! Our boat captain and guide were extremely knowledgeable and made sure everyone was comfortable and had a wonderful time. They care deeply about the manatees and are terrific stewards for their environment. This was a magical experience that I highly recommend. We were thrilled with the photos we received and enjoyed the experience without worrying about trying capture the memories since this was done for us so well.

We had such a great day out in the water with the manatees! Captain Chris, and giggles gave us the best, safest, and most wonderful experience!

This was an awesome experience! Giggles and Captain Chris were so nice and entertaining. Giggles was in the water with us the whole time. She made sure we could see the manatees and also made sure we had videos and pictures. She did so good!! Chris was awesome!! He kept the boat warm for us and made sure we had hot coffee ready when we got back on the boat. He whipped us up a manatee mocha.. it was delicious & warm!! They supplied masks, snorkels, wet suits, & towels!! This tour is definitely a must!!!!! 10/10 recommend!!!!!